Matthew 14
Herod thought Jesus was John the Baptist verse 1- 2
At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus
and said to his servants
This is John the Baptist – he is risen from the dead
and
THEREFORE mighty works do show forth
themselves in him
Herod had arrested John for confronting him verse 3- 5
For Herod had laid hold on John – and bound him
and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake
his brother Philip’s wife
FOR John said to him – It is not lawful for you to have her
and when he would have put him to death
he feared the multitude
because they counted him as a prophet
Herod made promise he didn’t want to keep verse 6- 12
BUT when Herod’s birthday was kept
the daughter of Herodias danced before them
and pleased Herod
WHEREUPON he promised with an oath
to give her whatsoever she would ask
and she – being instructed of her mother said
Give me here John Baptist’s head
in a charger
AND the king was sorry – NEVERTHELESS for the oath’s sake
and them which sat with him at meat
he commanded it to be given her
AND he sent – and beheaded John in the prison
and his head was brought in a charger
and given to the damsel
and she brought it to her mother
AND his disciples came – took up the body – and buried it
and went and told Jesus
Jesus sought alone time but had compassion on crowd verse 13- 14
When Jesus heard of it
HE departed thence by ship into a desert place apart
and when the people had heard thereof
they followed HIM on foot out of the cities
AND Jesus went forth – and saw a great multitude
and was MOVED WITH COMPASSION toward them
and HE healed their sick
Disciples wanted to send crowd away hungry verse 15
And when it was evening – HIS disciples came to him
saying
This is a desert place – and the time is now past
send the multitude away
that they may go into the villages
and buy themselves victuals
Jesus stated it wasn’t necessary verse 16
BUT Jesus said to them
They need not depart – give you them to eat
Disciples questioned the LORD verse 17
And they say unto him
We have here but FIVE LOAVES – and TWO FISHES
Jesus fed the five thousand men
plus women and children verse 18- 21
HE said – Bring them hither to me
and HE commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass
and took the five loaves – and the two fishes
and LOOKING UP to heaven – HE blessed
and brake – and gave the loaves to HIS disciples
and the disciples to the multitude
AND they did all eat – and were filled
and they took up of the fragments that remained
twelve baskets full
AND they that had eaten were about FIVE THOUSAND men
besides women and children
Jesus sends disciples and crowd away verse 22
AND straightway Jesus constrained HIS disciples
to get into a ship
and go before HIM to the other side
while HE sent the multitude away
Jesus went up in the mountain to pray verse 23
AND when HE had sent the multitudes away
HE went up into a mountain apart to pray
and when the evening was come
HE was there alone
Disciples see Jesus walking on water verse 24-26
BUT the ship was now in the midst of the sea
tossed with waves
for the wind was contrary
AND in the fourth watch of might Jesus went to them
WALKING ON THE SEA
AND when the disciples saw HIM walking on the sea
they were troubled – saying – It is a spirit
and they cried out for fear
Jesus invites Peter to walk on water verse 27- 31
BUT straightway Jesus spoke unto them – saying
BE of good cheer – it is I – BE not afraid
AND Peter answered HIM and said
Lord – if it be YOU
bid me come unto you on the water
AND HE said – COME
and when Peter was come down out of the ship
he walked on the water
to go to Jesus
BUT when he saw the wind boisterous – he was afraid
and he was beginning to sink – he cried
saying
Lord – save me
AND immediately Jesus stretched forth HIS hand
and caught him
and said unto him
O you of little faith – wherefore did you doubt?
Jesus ends the storm verse 32- 33
AND when they were come into the ship – the wind ceased
THEN they that were in the ship came
and WORSHIPPED HIM – saying
Of a truth YOU are the Son of God
Jesus landed to find group that needed
physical healing verse 34- 36
And when they were gone over
they came into the land of Gennesaret
and when the men of that place
had knowledge of HIM
they sent out into all that country round about
and brought unto HIM all that were diseased
And besought HIM that
they might only touch the hem of HIS garment
and as many as touched were
made perfectly whole
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. (154 “ask” [aiteo] means desire, beg, require, crave, or call for)
DEVOTION: Promising someone something should always be done carefully. Too often we promise things that we wish we had never done. Sometimes we make promises that we know we will never keep.
We make these promises even to our spouse and children. We say we are going to do something and then we don’t. We don’t mean to not do them but when we promised we either thought we could or we thought they would forget the promise. Too often they remember and hold it against the one making the promise.
Some people are even more foolish and promise God something that they will never keep. If we say we are going to do something to God we should keep our promise to HIM. Once we start breaking our promises to God it gets easier and easier to say things we don’t mean to get ourselves out of the consequences of our actions.
Here we find Herod promising something to his brother Philip’s wife’s daughter. She did a dance that really pleased him and wanted to give her something. He wasn’t thinking at the time. He probably thought she would ask for something small. She didn’t. She asked for the head of John the Baptist. She received it to give to her mother. He regarded his promise.
On a second note we need to watch what we ask of our children. Here we find a mother asking her daughter to kill someone because she didn’t like the truth about her marriage relationship. She will be held accountable along with her daughter for the murder of John the Baptist.
CHALLENGE: Don’t make foolish promises to others or to the LORD. Keep your promises.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. (3441 “alone” [monos] means without a companion, forsaken, destitute for help, only or by one’s self)
DEVOTION: Death has an effect on each of us when we have a loved one leave this world for the next world. If the individual is a believer we are happy that they are with the LORD but sad that we will miss them.
Here we have Jesus being told that HIS cousin is dead at the hands of Herod. HIS reaction is to try to be alone with HIS Father for a while. The present situation was that there was a large group of people in the wilderness who had followed HIM and they were hungry.
HE fed the multitude and they took time alone to be with HIS Father in prayer. HE had sent the disciples across the lake. HE wanted to be alone.
Many times we will see that the LORD when off by himself to communicate with the Father.
We need to go to a place of solitude to communicate with the Father. This is the practice of two of the disciplines of the faith listed below. There are many disciplines the LORD practiced while he was here on this earth. While we are here on this earth we need to follow HIS example and practice the disciplines. When we are hurting we need time alone with the LORD to work through our emotions. When we have major decisions we need to take time alone with the LORD with prayer and fasting to ask HIS guidance in our decision. Being alone with the LORD in a quiet place is always a good practice.
The disciplines for today are solitude and prayer. Do we need to get away without a companion and talk with the LORD about something important in our lives?
Do we need to get together with a spouse to make a major decision in our married life? I just talked with a husband who has been having trouble at work that seems to have no resolution except for him to resign and take another position. He is going to do that after praying with his wife regarding this decision.
Has there been an event in your live where we have to go to the Master and ask for HIS help to know what to do? Are we going to the Master by ourselves to seek HIS wisdom and comfort? We should be!!! Trust in the LORD.
CHALLENGE: If Jesus needed time alone with HIS Father we should also find time alone with our Father in heaven as well. When was the last time you have been alone with God?
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. (5399 “afraid” [phobeo] means state of fear, be alarmed, respect, to be frightened, fearful sight or to be apprehensive)
DEVOTION: Those who profess to be believers in Jesus Christ have a hard time fully trusting HIM. Most in our world would not have even tried what Peter tried this day. He asked the LORD if he could walk on water with HIM. He got out of the boat and walked toward Jesus Christ.
He like all of us did something wrong. He took HIS eyes off Jesus. Once he had taken his eyes off Jesus things went wrong. He started to sink in the water. He would have drowned if he hadn’t asked the LORD to save him.
Jesus reached out HIS hand and took Peter. Jesus reprimanded Peter for a lack of faith. He had enough faith to go out of the boat but not to finish the job.
It seems that most of the time we are the same way. We start to step out in faith believing that we are doing what the LORD wants us to do but then we have our flesh put doubt in our mind that maybe we are going beyond what the LORD wanted us to do. It is possible some of the time that we get ahead of God but also there seem to be more times we are not willing to even get out of the boat.
Our faith has to grow. Our trust has to grow. Our walk has to move toward the direction the LORD is leading. There are pitfalls on every side but the LORD has promised to be with us.
If we are praying for direction and the LORD opens a door we need to take our steps of faith in that direction. There is no status quo with the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Are you asking the LORD for direction in your life? Will you step out of the boat to go through the open door HE gives you?
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: 33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped HIM, saying, Of a truth, YOU are the Son of God. (230 “truth” [alethos] means surely, in reality, most certainly, indeed or really)
DEVOTION: Jesus was walking on the water between 3 A.M. and 6 A.M. I am very familiar with those time periods. It is very unusual for me to be in bed before three A.M. most nights. As you can see it is after 3 A.M. when I will be sending this devotional.
The disciples were crossing a lake at that time of night. It was stormy and they observe someone walking on the water. They are afraid. Jesus identifies HIMSELF. Peter wants to walk on water too and the LORD invites him to come out to HIM. Peter does but then takes his eyes off Jesus. He begins to sink and needs the LORD to save him.
Now they enter the boat and the storm ceases. Jesus has control over the weather too. What do the disciples think after seeing these three impossible things?
They make a statement that the LORD wants all of us to make. HE wants us to realize that HE is to be worshiped. HE is truly the Son of God. HE can do the impossible.
Once we get to the point that we realize that our God can do the impossible we can learn to ask for what will be pleasing in HIS sight to help us to minister well for HIM. Doubt is part of the human nature that we have with us until we die. We need to fight the doubt when it comes to serving the LORD.
CHALLENGE: TRUTH is stranger than fiction. Jesus was equal with the Father and Holy Spirit and had the power to control nature.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
Jesus sought a solitary place verse 13, 23
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Jesus prayed for food verse 19
Jesus prayed in solitary place verse 23
Peter prays to Jesus verse 30
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Jesus accepts worship from disciples verse 33
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
Jesus verse 1, 12- 14, 16, 22, 25, 27, 29, 31
Fame of Jesus verse 1
Feeding of five thousand verse 16- 22
Jesus prayed verse 23
Walking on water verse 25
Lord verse 28, 30
Son of God verse 33
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Herod the tetrarch verse 1- 12
Herodias – Herod’s brother Philip’s wife verse 3, 8, 11
Herod feared people verse 5
Herod’s birthday verse 6
Daughter of Herodias verse 6
Men had knowledge of Jesus verse 35
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Not lawful verse 4
Wrong type of promise verse 7, 9
Wrong instruction of parent verse 8
Sorry isn’t enough verse 9
Murder verse 10
Troubled verse 26
Fear verse 26, 30
Little faith verse 30, 31
Doubt verse 31
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Boldness verse 4
Follow Jesus verse 13
Compassion verse 14
Healed verse 14
Blessed verse 19
Prayer verse 19, 23
Good cheer verse 27
No fear verse 27
Walk on water verse 28, 29
Save verse 30
Worship verse 33
Truth verse 33
Healing: perfectly whole verse 35, 36
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
John the Baptist = prophet verse 2- 12
Disciples of John verse 12
Jesus’ disciples verse 15- 22, 26
Peter walked on water verse 28
Land of Gennesaret verse 34
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Risen from the dead verse 2
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DONATIONS:
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QUOTES regarding passage
But Peter wanted greater assurance that it was really the Lord. He said, Lord, if it’s You … tell me to come to You on the water. The Lord’s reply was a simple Come. Peter’s initial response demonstrated his faith for he stepped out of the boat and began walking toward the Lord. (Only Matthew recorded Peter’s walk on the water.) In all recorded history only two men ever walked on … water, Jesus and Peter. But Peter’s faith was challenged when he saw the wind, that is, when he saw its effect on the water. As he sank, he cried to the Lord for help. Immediately the Lord caught him. Jesus rebuked Peter for his lack of faith (cf. 6:30; 8:26; 16:8), which had caused him to sink. (Barbieri, L. A., Jr. (1985). Matthew. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 54). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Many Christians have the mistaken idea that obedience to God’s will produces “smooth sailing.” But this is not true. “In the world you shall have tribulation,” Jesus promised (John 16:33). When we find ourselves in the storm because we have obeyed the Lord, we must remember that He brought us here and He can care for us.
“He is praying for me.” This entire scene is a dramatic picture of the church and the Lord today. God’s people are on the sea, in the midst of a storm. Yet Jesus Christ is in heaven “making intercession for us” (Rom. 8:34). He saw the disciples and knew their plight (Mark 6:48), just as He sees us and knows our needs. He feels the burdens that we feel and knows what we are going through (Heb. 4:14–16). Jesus was praying for His disciples, that their faith would not fail.
If you knew that Jesus Christ was in the next room, praying for you, would it not give you new courage to endure the storm and do His will? Of course it would. He is not in the next room, but He is in heaven interceding for you. He sees your need, He knows your fears, and He is in control of the situation.
“He will come to me.” Often we feel like Jesus has deserted us when we are going through the hard times of life. In the Psalms, David complained that God seemed far away and unconcerned. Yet he knew that God would ultimately rescue him. Even the great Apostle Paul got into a situation so difficult he felt “burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life” (2 Cor. 1:8, nasb).
Jesus always comes to us in the storms of life. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you” (Isa. 43:2, nasb). He may not come at the time we think He should come, because He knows when we need Him the most. He waited until the ship was as far from land as possible, so that all human hope was gone. He was testing the disciples’ faith, and this meant removing every human prop.
Why did Jesus walk on the water? To show His disciples that the very thing they feared (the sea) was only a staircase for Him to come to them. Often we fear the difficult experiences of life (such as surgery or bereavement), only to discover that these experiences bring Jesus Christ closer to us.
Why did they not recognize Jesus? Because they were not looking for Him. Had they been waiting by faith, they would have known Him immediately. Instead, they jumped to the false conclusion that the appearance was that of a ghost. Fear and faith cannot live in the same heart, for fear always blinds the eyes to the presence of the Lord.
“He will help me grow.” This was the whole purpose of the storm, to help the disciples grow in their faith. After all, Jesus would one day leave them, and they would face many storms in their ministries. They had to learn to trust Him even though He was not present with them, and even though it looked as though He did not care.
Now our center of interest shifts to Peter. Before we criticize Peter for sinking, let’s honor him for his magnificent demonstration of faith. He dared to be different. Anybody can sit in the boat and watch. But it takes a person of real faith to leave the boat and walk on the water.
What caused Peter to sink? His faith began to waver because he took his eyes off the Lord and began to look at the circumstances around him. “Why did you doubt?” Jesus asked him (Matt. 14:31). This word translated doubt carries the meaning of “standing uncertainly at two ways.” Peter started out with great faith but ended up with little faith because he saw two ways instead of one.
We must give Peter credit for knowing that he was sinking and for crying out to the Lord for help. He cried out when he was “beginning to sink” and not when he was drowning. Perhaps this incident came to Peter’s mind years later when he wrote in his first epistle: “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers” (1 Peter 3:12).
This experience was difficult for Peter, but it helped him to grow in his knowledge of himself and of the Lord. The storms of life are not easy, but they are necessary. They teach us to trust Jesus Christ alone and to obey His Word no matter what the circumstances may be. It has well been said, “Faith is not believing in spite of evidence, but obeying in spite of consequence.” (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 51–52). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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14:31 You have so little faith. Jesus rescued Peter by grasping him with his hand, but his words were aimed at rescue on another level. He pointed out Peter’s weak faith and asked why Peter doubted him (cf. 6:30; 8:26; 16:8). (Turner, D., & Bock, D. L. (2005). Cornerstone biblical commentary, Vol 11: Matthew and Mark (p. 204). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.)
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This is a beautiful dispensational picture. In verse 22 we read how Jesus constrained His disciples to get into a ship and to go before Him back to the other side of the lake, while He dismissed the multitudes. The disciples in the ship without the personal presence of Jesus set forth, dispensationally, the circumstances in which the Church of God was to be found after the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. He who had been with His disciples during the days of His flesh would no longer be manifestly present among them, but they would be left to make their way alone, as it were, across the troubled sea of earthly circumstances, looking forward to the time when they would again behold their Saviour.
He Himself went up into a mountain apart to pray. This suggests His present ministry on behalf of His own people—He has gone up on high where He ever liveth to make intercession for us.
While He prayed on the mountain top those in the ship were in real trouble, for their little vessel was passing through a severe storm and was tossed with the waves, and as far as its occupants could see it was likely to be lost. The people of God have been frequently placed in such circumstances during the time that the Lord has been ministering on high in the presence of the Father, and God’s dear people have often thought themselves forsaken and forgotten, but His eye has ever been upon them.
In the fourth watch of the night when the darkness was still great and the wind contrary, He looked down from the heights and saw them in their distress; and, to their amazement, He came walking upon the sea to give them the assistance they needed. As they beheld Him they were distressed rather than comforted, and they cried out in fear, “It is a spirit;” that is, a ghost. But in response to their startled cry came the voice they knew so well, the voice of Jesus Himself, saying, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.”
Ever impetuous but devoted to his Lord, Peter cried out, “Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water.” In response Jesus said, “Come.” Without a moment’s hesitation Peter went down over the side of the ship, and doubtless to his own amazement—if he thought of anything at the moment save Christ who was before him—he found himself actually walking upon the water as though upon firm ground. All was well as long as he kept his eyes fixed on Jesus, but when he turned to behold the boisterous waves, fear filled his heart, and he began to sink at once. As the waters were rising above him he cried out, “Lord, save me.” “And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” What Peter should have remembered was that he could no more walk on smooth water than on rough waves, except as sustained by the power of the Lord Himself, and that power is just as great in the storm as in the calm. Jesus and Peter entered the little boat, and immediately the wind ceased. They had witnessed such a display of omnipotent power that all the disciples fell down before the Lord and worshipped Him, saying, “Of a truth Thou art the Son of God.” (Ironside, H. A. (1948). Expository notes on the Gospel of Matthew. (pp. 184–187). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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Ver. 31. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, &c.] The Syriac reads it, וברשעתח, and in that very moment; for his case required immediate assistance, and Christ readily gave it; he reached out his hand at once, being just by him, and caught him; as he was sinking to the bottom, and lifted him up, and set him on his feet upon the water, and enabled him to walk with him to the ship; but not without reproving him for the weakness of his faith, and said unto him, O thou of little faith: he does not say, O thou unbeliever! or, O thou who hast no faith! for some faith he had, though but small; of this phrase, see the note on ch. 6:30. Wherefore didst thou doubt? waver, fluctuate, or wast divided between faith and fear. He was worthy of reproof, since he had had the order of Christ to come to him upon the water; and an experience of his power in supporting him thus far; and was now so near unto him, that he had no room to doubt, whether it was he or no, nor of his power to preserve him. (Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 1, pp. 167–168). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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All around Peter, the world was being torn apart. The wind was screaming in his ears and the boat was tossing like a piece of driftwood. But the surging billows were already beneath the Lord’s feet. Jesus had walked some three and a half miles across the lake to reach the boat, which according to John 6:19 was twenty-five or thirty furlongs from its starting point. (All the circumstances that we are unable to cope with are also already beneath the Lord’s feet.) The things that were beneath His feet, the Lord was going to put under Peter’s feet as well.
Peter was going to walk on water because he had faith, the vital link to the source of power. “Faith,” according to Romans 10:17, “cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Peter had heard the one word he needed: “Come.” Upon it he could rest his faith and dare his all.
Picture the scene. Peter lifted one foot over the side of the boat and as the waves soaked his leg up to his waist, he was reminded that there was water out there and man cannot walk on water. But Peter pondered the word of God in Christ—“Come”—and lifted his other leg over the side. However, Peter still had an iron grip on the boat. He would not be exercising real faith until he let go. It was when he fixed his eyes on Jesus that everything came into focus and he let go. Then the impossible happened. He was no longer being ruled by circumstances; he was triumphing over them. Faith was operating in his life.
Just outside our front door we have a thermometer. The mercury in that thermometer reflects the ups and downs of the temperature outside the house. That is all a thermometer can do: respond to the influence of the temperature. Inside the house, on a wall in the hallway, we have a thermostat. It too functions in relation to the temperature. During the winter when the temperature in the house falls to a certain point, the thermostat orders the furnace to bring the temperature back to the set number of degrees. During the summer when the temperature in the house rises to a certain point, the thermostat orders the air conditioner to bring the temperature back down again. The thermometer only reacts to the temperature, but the thermostat controls the temperature. The thermostat rules because it is connected by an unseen wire to a source of power.
Every believer is either one or the other. He can be a thermometer going up or down with every change of circumstance. Or he can be a thermostat, influenced by the ups and downs of life, but instantly triumphing over them because faith links him to a wondrous source of power.
So Peter was triumphing over circumstances. “He walked on the water,” said Matthew (14:29). Peter was doing what the Lord told him to do. Step by step he was walking the life of faith, walking in implicit, moment-by-moment obedience. His whole world was filled with the vision of Christ; he had his eyes fixed steadfastly on the Master.
Peter was doing just what Jesus was doing; he was doing the impossible. Peter’s faith in Christ enabled the power and authority of Christ over every circumstance to operate in his life; in terms of what he was able to do at that moment and in that situation, there was absolutely no difference between Peter and Christ. Peter had not mastered the theory of whatever dynamic was involved in walking on water, but his trust in Christ at that moment so linked him with Christ that Christ’s mastery was transmitted to him. Peter’s faith was the switch that turned on the power in his life.
We note the boldness of Peter’s trust during those few glorious moments when the treacherous waves were as solid as dry land beneath his feet. But there was a sudden breakdown of Peter’s trust as he became aware of the angry wind and sea. He took his eye off the Lord and fastened it on his circumstances. Faith died and fear rose. The vital link to the source of power was severed and Peter began to sink.
But all was not lost. The Lord had not challenged Peter to try this new kind of life only to let him perish when he failed. Jesus came alongside him. Peter fixed his eye once more on the Master and cried out, “Lord, save me” (14:30). Faith took hold once more and the Lord took hold. That mighty arm was outstretched to save. That hand, able to contain in its hollow the waters of the seven seas, caught the sinking disciple. “O thou of little faith,” He said, “wherefore didst thou doubt?” (14:31)
Peter’s faith was little, but it was better than no faith. Peter had been given an experience of victorious living that no one else in the boat had been given, an experience he would remember to his dying day. (Phillips, J. (2014). Exploring the Gospel of Matthew: An Expository Commentary (Mt 14:27–31). Kregel Publications; WORDsearch.)
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FROM MY READING:
SIN
If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
1 John 1:10
This is the failure to realize that we as sinners need forgiveness. It is the failure to realize the nature of sin, to grasp that our own natures are sinful, and to understand that we have all actually sinned and need forgiveness.
There are certain people who seem to say, “Yes, I believe in God, and I like to have fellowship with Him. And yet, you know, I have never been conscious of my sin. I do not understand that doctrine of yours. If you were to preach it to people gathered from the streets, I could understand that. But I have been brought up as a Christian; I have always tried to do good. I have never been conscious of the fact that I am a sinner, that I need repentance, and that I must be converted.”
Well, says John, if that is your position, “[you] make him a liar, and his word is not in [you].” If we do not realize that we are sinners and need the forgiveness of God, if we do not realize that we have always needed it and that we still need it, if we think that we have always been perfect or that now we are perfect as Christians, if we do not realize that we must repent, then, says John, we are making God a liar, for the “him” referred to is none other than God Himself. John here is just stating the whole teaching of the Bible from beginning to end.
What, then, is he teaching? Paul has summarized it perfectly for us in Romans 3; this is his verdict: “There is none righteous, no, not one” (verse 10). That is the doctrine of the Bible; so if we say we have not sinned, we are denying the doctrine of the Bible.
A Thought to Ponder: If we say we have not sinned, we are denying the doctrine of the Bible. (From Fellowship with God, pp. 119-120.by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Romans 8
What the Law cannot do in delivering us from sin, God does through Christ.
INSIGHT In Greece, a little boy might run into the kitchen and call “Mama, Mama!” when he wants to find his mother. And late in the afternoon as he hears familiar masculine footsteps approaching the house, he may run out to his father and cry “Abba, Abba!” “Mama” and “Abba” are terms of close family endearment. God loves the whole world, but He loves His spiritual children in a different, special way. With respect and joy, we can express our love back to Him with the tender name, “Abba, Abba.” It’s a term of endearment in the spiritual family. (Quiet Walk)
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Strength Through Weakness
“Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10)
Here is one of the great paradoxes of the Christian life. How could the apostle Paul actually find pleasure in being persecuted or reproached, in being placed in distressing situations, and having to endure bodily pain or weakness? There could be no pleasure at all in such things were it not “for Christ’s sake.”
Paul was a great man of faith and prayer, and he prayed earnestly that God would remove what he called a “thorn in the flesh” (v. 7), evidently some painful infirmity that he felt was hindering his ministry. God answered his prayer, however, by saying, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (v. 9).
Somehow, one of the most powerful testimonies to the truth of Christianity is given when Christians exhibit patience and joy and fruitfulness in the midst of suffering—whether that suffering be due to illness, or persecution, or loss, or any of a hundred situations that could be unbearable apart from Christ. In Paul’s case, he said that his “thorn” could not be removed “lest I should be exalted above measure” (v. 7) because of the great experiences God had given him as a Christian.
“Grace groweth best in the winter,” and we can testify with the psalmist, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes” (Psalm 119:71). One thinks, for example, of Fanny Crosby, blind since early childhood yet enabled to write 8,000 beautiful hymns in her 95 years.
The struggling church at Philadelphia was assured of an open door because it had “little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name” (Revelation 3:8). It is precisely when we recognize our own weakness in the flesh that we can become strong in Christ. (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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This age of utter confusion is the result of immaturity, superficiality, and a lack of knowledge. (p. 140)
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If then you are a member of the Christian church, you are claiming that you are one of God’s people, and the world and the principalities and powers in the heavenly places are entitled to look at you and say, “Is this the sort of work that God does? Is this the kind of individual that God claims he has produced in a miraculous manner through sending his Son into the world?” That is why we should “go on unto perfection” (Heb. 6:1). It is a very poor recommendation of the grace of God and the power of the Spirit if you and I are exactly the same as we were a year ago or ten years ago, if we have not advanced at all, if we are not able to cope with life in a stronger, firmer, more triumphant manner than before. The honor of God is involved. (p. 143)
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One of the last things we develop is a sense of discrimination and understanding. (p. 144)
(A Merciful and Faithful High Priest by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Daily Hope
Today’s Scripture Ecclesiastes 7: 23-29
We live in a world where science and knowledge are being heralded as the only safe and secure way to live. If it cannot be proven or tested then it is not worthy of consideration. In major cultural disputes, the experts seemingly are given final authority to have the last statement and their words are held as almost sacred.
Solomon was the wisest man to live. In this section of Ecclesiastes, he reviewed all that he had learned and his conclusion was that he still was naive and unlearned about many things. The areas that he had conducted extensive tests and spent hours of research still held mysteries for which he had no answers. His wisdom and drive to understand led him to recognize that man was intent to be a sinner and all that man does is scheme and commit foolishness and madness (v.25).
Solomon uses the illustration that would be very applicable for his audience as he discusses the ability of a woman to ensnare a man and manipulate them into acts that were unacceptable to the Lord. Solomon was very aware of a woman’s influence with 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11) and how he himself was led astray to worship and build altars to his wives’ deities.
After discussing the weakness of man and their loss of integrity and relationship with God, Solomon concludes this section with the single reality that God made man upright or in God’s image, but man is determined to scheme and settle for less than God likeness (v.29).
Science and the efforts of men have made the comforts of life more available to all. We continually see the advancements and new benefits of men’s research. Like Solomon, there continues to be an emptiness that is not filled with all of man’s schemes and searching for answers! That only comes from a relationship with Christ. A wise man will come to understand that their searches conclude with God and His revelation of Himself through Jesus Christ coming in the flesh. Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 1: 20-25 that the wisdom of God is greater than the wisdom of men. Verse 21 sums it up, “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.” Trust the revealed plan of God and receive Jesus Christ as your Savior. It will be the best decision you can ever make!
With an Expectant hope, Pastor Miller
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